Chiharu Igaya

A silver medalist in slalom during the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympic Games, a bronze medalist in the 1958 skiing World Championship, and a competitor in the 1952 and 1960 Olympics, Chiharu Igaya, Dartmouth Class of 1957, has served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1982, as a member of the IOC's Executive Board from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2000. Currently, Igaya is the IOC Vice President, a position he has held since 2005.

Born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1931, Igaya, who is fluent in English and Japanese, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth while simultaneously skiing at international competitions. In 1972, he was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame and in 1988, received the Imperial Purple Ribbon Medal and in 2002 the National Order "Star of Romania."

In his post-skiing career, Igaya has worked in service of international athletic competition and the promotion of sportsmanship. His service to sports administration includes membership in the FIS Alpine Committee and the FIS World Cup Committee, Chairman of the Japan Olympic Academy and President of the Japan Triathlon Union. He has been an advisor to the Japanese Amateur Sports Association and a special advisor of the Japanese Ministry of Education and of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for sports issues. A member of the Ethics and Education Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Igaya is also the Vice-President of the Asian Triathlon Confederation.

Among his many contributions to the IOC, he served, in 1988, as Chairman of the Study and Evaluation Comission for the Preparation of the 1994 and 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Igaya has served as a member of numerous IOC commissions, among them, preparatory committees for the Winter Games in Albertville in 1992, Lillehammer in 1994 and Salt Lake City in 2002.

Outside of the world of sports, Igaya serves as a Member of the Board of AIU Insurance Company and was, from 1994 to 2000, the Chairman of AIG K.K. Currently, he serves as the Honorary Chairman of AIU Insurance Company, Japan. In keeping with his life-long dedication to international cooperation and exchange, Igaya is also the Director General of the Japan-Romania Society, Vice-President of the Japan-Bulgaria Society and Director of The Japan-Serbia and Montenegro Exchange Association.

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